I thoroughly enjoyed studying Peig as an adult, I chose to do it when I repeated my leaving in Irish, it’s a very interesting document of the times and place,
I loved the Padraig O’Conaire stories in scothsceslta, they were dark but they were brilliant short stories.
My young lad started in junior infants and the teacher uses English and Irish interchangeably. He loves it. Constantly asking what’s the Irish for this, what’s the English for that.
Still no justification for Irish being compulsory.
Two, maybe three if we got started on them straight away.
So no evidence at all. And no further coverage of who this mysterious lobby actually are. Just a perfect illustration of the phrase 'Dùirt bean liom go ndùirt bean lèì… ’
Smashing post. I love the Irish language every bit as much as I love Hurling. How can you have one without the other? It’s our heritage, it’s what we are.
I did all of my hurling through English. Never impacted my love of the game at all.
A few lads who struggled badly with the language are letting it influence their opinions here.
Learning a second language as a child has huge additional developmental benefits for a child. Google it. Youd need your head examined not to. So the question is what language. Sure why not our own one? With all the intertwined history and culture?
I don’t disagree with your first point, I just don’t believe that it should have to be Irish. If you want your kid to learn Irish by all means choose that. If not choose a different language. I don’t see the problem with that concept.
Not everyone in the State feels that their history and culture is intertwined with the Irish language. It hasn’t been spoken in vast tracts of the country in nearly 200 years.
I sit on a private JS board, this is well known in teachers circles. We get the pick of the bunch of those who get qualifications in the U.K. as they state they are openly looked down upon for roles in the national system (despite having to get the additional qualification).
The INTO attempted to have the rules changed in the late 90s on the back of Nordie teachers giving out. Whilst rules were tweaked, there has always been a large cabal within the Teachers Council and DoE who want to retain compulsory Irish for primary school teachers.
As I have stated, I would have no issue if all kids were afforded a Gaelscoil standard primary education that meant they were well on the way to fluency by 12. They aren’t though, those schools are for a protected class. Despite this we have the bizarre situation where all primary teachers need a high standard of Irish. There are kids who come into the national system who can barely speak English- of course they will ultimately find it easier to learn English as they are surrounded by it, but kids are sponges and can learn anything at an early age. There isn’t a real effort at teaching the language properly despite the language being given a protected class.
Should be optional at senior cycle. You create a much better environment by having lads doing subjects that they choose to do rather than having them imposed upon them. The toughest job bar none in secondary school is teaching ordinary level Irish. Lads have no interest and resent having to be there.
It’s inevitable that this will happen as you can’t get an Irish teacher for love nor money and many of the current cohort are approaching retirement.
I got the honour in it.
Do you still have to get the pass to matriculate
I don’t know is the honest answer.
should English be optional too?
Its very different
English is the most important subject in my opinion. The ability to write well is an invaluable life skill imho.
Anyone coming out of second level education using text speak should be shot in the face.
That’s a bit harsh imho.